Clay Sculpture: Altered Pinch Pots

Students were very excited for their clay sculpture unit this semester. They learned about 3 main hand-building techniques: pinch pot, coil, and slab. For our summative assignment, students were required  to make a pinch pot (open or closed), but then, they could make it into whatever their hearts desired! A closed pinch pot is made by joining 2 opened pots together to create a hollow cavity. When students were finished sculpting, sculptures were fired, and ready to be glazed. Students chose from over 60 different colors to glaze their work. Check out some examples of our final products!

Artist Trading Cards, Semester 2

Throughout 3rd quarter, students have been working on their collections of artist trading cards during their spare time. Artist trading cards are miniature works of art, on which the student can use any medium. The subject matter is completely the choice of the student. A "trade day" is held each quarter, where students have the opportunity to trade their cards with each other and with their teacher as well! Every student chose their best card to turn in for a formative grade. On the back of each mini work of art, students write their name (they're the artist!), the medium (materials) they used, a title (creativity is encouraged), and the date the card with created.  The photos below are of each student's choice, organized by block.

Block 1:

Block 2: 

Block 3: 

Block 6: 

Block 7:

Block 8:

Mrs. Baxter's Collection:

Second Semester: Drawing and Line

Animal Zentangle Project
Our first unit in 6th grade art was drawing and line. Students learned about observational drawing (drawing what we see), contour drawing (drawing just outlines), and drawing with value (the lightness and darkness of a color. Students drew an animal contour of their choice and then filled it with at least 8 different "zentangle" patterns. A "zentangle" is an abstract line drawing method that involves line, shape, and patterning. Student added color to their animal with colored pencil, experimenting with value and blending colors. The background of the artwork was watercolored. Take a look at some selected student work below!

Printmaking!

We are just finishing up a really fun printmaking unit in class! Students gained experience making the following types of prints: a monoprint, a collagraph, and a relief print. Students created a monoprint using shaving cream and liquid watercolor (see VIDEO below if you're curious!). Their collagraph was created with leaves that we gathered as a class. Students created a symmetrical design, which they then carved into soft-carve linoleum for their relief prints. The design they carved was 4 inches by 4 inches. Students printed their design 6 times to fill their monoprint paper. They learned that, when printed repeatedly, a symmetrical design can build a larger symmetrical design.

Identity Maps: Watercolor

We have recently wrapped up our summative watercolor project called "identity maps." Students expressed at least 8 aspects of their identity through naming land or water features that they included on an island or continent which they designed. To make the paper appear old, students folded their watercolor paper at least 20 times and then dyed it with tea. They then sketched the design of their island onto their final paper and began watercoloring. Students practiced control of 3 different watercolor washes and learned to paint small areas with fine detail brushes. Every student has his/her identity map on display at school, lining the 6th grade hallway. Below are photos of just a small sampling of our beautiful maps!

CD Upcycle Project

We just completed our "One to the World" upcycle project. One to the World (OttW) is a new initiative from Loudoun County. Teachers were asked to approach a "real world" problem through their subject area. We took a look at "upcycling" or repurposing old items to create something new and beautiful. We used old CDs (Mac software from 2000), and turned them into works of art. Students learned about the stained glass artwork of Louis Comfort Tiffany, radial symmetry, and mandalas for their inspiration.  The following photos don't fully capture the beauty of this project. It was difficult to photograph the reflective nature that is maintained by the CDs after the color and paint was added. Luckily, all of the CDs from our class will be going on display at Blend Coffee Bar in Ashburn in the next couple of weeks!

Artist Trading Cards

Trade day is almost here! Students have been making a collection of artist trading cards since the 2nd week of school (the goal was to make 4). Each card is the size of a playing card (about 2 1/2" x 3 1/2") and is supposed to be a miniature work of art including any subject matter in any medium. On the back of the cards, students included their name (they're the artist!), the medium they used (collage, colored pencil, paint, etc.), the title of their mini work of art, and the date it was completed. We invited 6th grade students in different art classes to make artist trading cards with us so that we could trade with them (Mr. Alexander & Miss Baroni accepted our invitation!). Below are pictures of decks comprised of 1 card made by each student in each block. Students chose the card that they felt was their strongest piece for the block deck. I also included a picture of my deck. I made cards along with my students so they could watch demonstrations of various art techniques.

Block 1's Deck:

Block 2's Deck:

Block 3's Deck:

 Block 6's Deck:

Block 7's Deck:

Block 8's Deck:

Mrs. Baxter's Deck: